After an offseason which saw every team comply with the letter of the Rooney Rule, but none implement its spirit, the NFL is considering broadening the scope of the rule.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, one possibility which has been discussed is an expansion of the Rooney Rule which would require teams to interview minority candidates for coordinator jobs. The namesake of the rule hinted at such changes in another interview. As currently written, teams have to interview at least one minority candidate for head coach and general manager jobs.
The idea is a good one, so long as the same two or three coaches aren’t going on multiple interviews to check off a box. Its application would be most interesting on offense, where the number of minority play-callers doubled last week when Pep Hamilton was named offensive coordinator in Indianapolis, joining Baltimore’s Jim Caldwell.
The bigger problem remains developing candidates for those interviews, or else the proposed new rule might create the appearance of action rather than any substantive change.
Whether it’s a minor league the likes of which the league has lacked since NFL Europe was disbanded, or an affiliation with an existing league such as the CFL, a long-term answer will rely on creating opportunities for new candidates to get experience calling plays, rather than just going on interviews.